Packing for Six Months, One Bag

My first long trip, I carried sixty-eight liters and used maybe half of what was in it. The rest was insurance against situations that never happened. It took two more trips to admit that most of what I packed was fear, not preparation.

Everything in the bag now has to do at least two jobs.

The current list is smaller and stranger than I expected: one merino layer that works as sleepwear and as a mid-layer, sandals that double as house shoes, a sarong that’s been a towel, a blanket, and once, a curtain. Nothing gets to just sit there being useful in theory.

What I didn’t expect was how much lighter this makes the actual traveling, not just the carrying. Fewer decisions, fewer things to lose track of, more attention left over for the place I’m actually in.